John Hancock Rassweiler
John Hancock Rassweiler will be remembered for his genuine warmth and welcoming smile. He was a master storyteller as well as an attentive listener. John was a friend and mentor for so many but especially to his children; supporting each with his wisdom, advice, and encouragement. John will be deeply missed by all.
John died at home in the early morning of January 21, 2026, attended by his children. He was 93.
John was born to Mary L. Hancock and Clifford F. Rassweiler in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on April 3, 1932. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School and went on to Amherst College where he graduated in Cum Laude in 1954. John earned his Ph.D. in Organic and Biochemistry at University of Illinois, followed by post doctorate work at the Federal Institute of Switzerland in Zurich.
John’s professional life was spent in a variety of roles including research, sales, product development, marketing, and division management, working at companies such as American Cyanamid and later at Johnson and Johnson. In the late 1970s, while still at Johnson and Johnson, he helped to found and became a director for the Live for Life wellness program. He started his own business, Health Enhancement Systems, in Princeton in 1981.
John felt it important to support his community and was on many local boards and committees. Included among the many organizations he served was Princeton Borough and Township Recreation Board, the NJ Governors Council of Open Spaces, Trinity Church, Friends of the Institute of Advanced Studies, the D&R Greenway Land Trust Inc., and Princeton University Art Museum.
John also found the time to pursue many personal hobbies and interests. These included land preservation and mapping, international travel, reading, and cooking. John was an avid student of military history. He was very interested in art and built up a unique collection of medieval seal matrices and medieval sealed documents. He recently donated this collection to the Society of Antiquaries in London where it is publicly available. Related to this interest, John also founded the organization Sigillvm and sponsored with The British Museum the exhibition “Good Impressions” and related seminar in London England in 2007.
John lived an active lifestyle, enjoying tennis, hiking, and land management. At age 63 he was part of a four-man crew that completely reconstructed a 1780’s farmhouse in Hunterdon County. John and his wife Anne designed and had built a unique home in Vermont where the family still gather to celebrate and enjoy nature.
John loved to entertain and had an engaging sense of humor. Many of his friends and neighbors will remember the annual Christmas Caroling party that he and Anne held for over a decade. Over the years they welcomed numerous international exchange students into their family. Along with Anne and continuing throughout his life John hosted events to support and celebrate organizations and family members.
John was predeceased by his wife Anne G. Dickason of Short Hills, NJ (2002). He is survived by his daughter Janet (Casey); sons Clifford (Marilyn), John Tone and Michael (Colleen); grandson Casey; and many loving nieces and nephews and their children.
A celebration of John’s life will be held in the spring of 2026. To extend condolences and share memories, please go to TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
The celebration of life date will be posted there or to be notified directly please send a request to adjr65@comcast.net.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to the D&R Greenway Land Trust, Inc. or Friends of the Institute for Advanced Study.
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Dr. Michael Henry Brill
1949 – 2026
Dr. Michael Henry Brill (“Mike”) of Kingston, NJ, age 76, passed away peacefully at his home on January 14, 2026, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Mike was born on January 26, 1949 in Bay Shore, New York, to Dr. Henry and Wenonah Brill (née Beale). He was a loving brother to sisters Helen Broxmeyer (Reston, VA) and Jean Hough (Palm Harbor, FL), and a devoted husband to his wife Karen Linder of Kingston, NJ, where Mike lived for over 20 years.
Mike graduated from Brentwood High School in Islip, New York, in 1965 and earned his undergraduate degree (Physics and English) from Case Western Reserve University in 1969, followed by a Master’s degree (1971) and a Ph.D. in Physics from Syracuse University in 1976. His post-graduate studies in Physics and Color Sciences were completed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His career included positions at SAIC in Arlington, Virginia; Sarnoff Corporation in Princeton, New Jersey; and Datacolor in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He had a rich career in color, modeling, and vision that spanned over 50 years.
He was author of more than 125 peer-reviewed technical publications and was an influential contributor to the technical and patent literature of color and to standards bodies for color and vision science. While at Sarnoff, Mike won a technical Emmy Award for his contributions to digital cinema. Before retiring in 2022, he was the Principal Color Scientist and Manager of Science and Technology at Datacolor.
Mike provided significant leadership to the Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC), serving as President from 1998-2000, and he co-organized many of its conferences. He maintained Hue Angles, a color-oriented blog for many years and was an editor of Physics Essays for three decades. He served on the Editorial Board of Color Research and Application (CR&A) and chaired several technical committees for ASTM and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). Eager to encourage students, Mike served as an external Examiner for the doctoral dissertations of seven young scientists, and he spent two summers teaching scientific English to students in Russia.
One of the special things about Mike is that he made deep friendships and maintained a lifelong, deep passion for learning. He loved to laugh and his wry sense of humor was one of his best qualities. He tried to live every day to the fullest. He was an avid ping pong player throughout his life and did the NYT crossword puzzle in ink to the end. He was a published poet, a pastime that sustained him for many years. Since retirement, he had become an active member of House 3 in Princeton’s Community Without Walls.
In keeping with Mike’s wishes, there are no immediate services planned, but a memorial service will be planned for later in the spring. We suspect he is deeply engaged in conversation with colleagues who have already passed on, free of IT problems or physical worries. The world is a better place because of this gentle, kind, and thinking soul. Donations in Michael’s honor can be made to SGI-USA (his Buddhist practice for half a century) or to the Physics Department of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Arrangements are under the direction of M.J. Murphy Funeral Home, Monmouth Junction, NJ.
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Lila Shirley Tenenbaum Norris
April 19, 1933 – January 12, 2026
Lila Shirley Tenenbaum Norris ended her life on her own terms, with the MAID program, on January 12, 2026.
She was preceded in death by her husband of more than 65 years, Myron. She will be missed by her daughter, Cynthia Maguire; son, Steven Norris; daughter-in-law, Nancy Norris; her four grandchildren, Adele Wilson, Nicholas Astraeus, Ian Norris, and Ali Pape; her great-granddaughter, Adira Pape; her companion, Alan Taback; and many wonderful friends and extended family.
Lila had a satisfying and successful 35-year career at ETS where she was a Senior Research Scientist at the cutting-edge of computer software design for educational guidance. She loved dogs. She was a runner, a gardener, a photographer, and an avid tennis player. She supported a number of charitable causes and was proudly at a pro-democracy protest last year on her 92nd birthday.
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Katherine (Kit) B. Spence
Katherine (Kit) B. Spence, 64, of Newark, Delaware, died of cardiac arrest on January 19, 2026.
Kit was born in New York City in 1961 to Mary and Donald Spence. The youngest of four children, she lived in Ridgewood, NJ, until 1974 when the family moved to Princeton. She attended Midland School and graduated from Riverview School in East Sandwich, MA. Living in Princeton for over 35 years, Kit was an active member of Trinity Church where she was confirmed in 2005. Her favorite TV shows were Bewitched and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She enjoyed music, particularly the band Journey, as well as the soundtracks to many Broadway musicals. Kit loved dogs, and they loved her back; Taffy, Honey, and Vicky were her constant companions. She gave great hugs, and she loved to laugh.
Kit was preceded in death by both of her parents, whom she never stopped missing. She is survived by her three siblings and their spouses: Keith and Bonnie Spence of Jacksonville, FL; Sallie and Jim McGregor of Cambridge, MA; and Laura Spence-Ash and Adam Ash of Hopewell, NJ.
A memorial service will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kit’s name can be made to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) New Jersey or to Trinity Church.